Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Program Guide

Advertiser Disclosure

Marriot Bonvoy is the rewards and loyalty program from the Marriott hotel group. The current Bonvoy™ program is based in part on the luxurious rewards programs of two hotels that now compose part of the Marriott brand: Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and The Ritz-Carlton.

The Marriott Bonvoy program is regarded as one of the most exceptional hotels rewards programs available today and prides itself on offering elite-level benefits and excellent redemption value. The Bonvoy family of credit cards are especially well-regarded for their excellent sign-up bonuses, with the Marriott Bonvoy™ Boundless Card from Chase a prime example: New cardholders receive a whopping 100,000 points when they use the card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first three months.

To get the most out of the Bonvoy™ rewards program, it is essential to understand how the program works, how to earn the most points and the best options for point redemptions. This comprehensive guide will explain everything you need to know about the Marriott Bonvoy™ program and help you get the most out of your hotel rewards credit cards.

Hotels in the Marriott Portfolio

The following hotels and resorts make up the Marriott International portfolio, and participate in the Bonvoy™ program:

AC Hotels
Aloft
Autograph Collection
Bulgari Hotels
Courtyard by Marriott
Element
Fairfield Inn
Four Points
Gaylord Hotels
Homes & Villas by Marriott
JW Marriott
Le Meridien
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Renaissance Hotels
Residence Inn
Ritz-Carlton
Sheraton
SpringHill Suites
St. Regis
TownePlace Suites
W Hotels
Westin

How to Earn Points

Hotel Stays

The simplest way to earn points through the Bonvoy program is by booking a stay with a Marriott International hotel or resort.

Points from hotel stays vary depending upon the membership status of the individual, as well as the type of property the stay is booked in. Long-stay brands like Residence Inn, Element, or TownePlace Suites, for example, earn half the points of typical stays with other Marriot brands.

The points breakdown for hotel stays is as follows:

Basic Member: Basic members earn 10 points for every $1 with most Marriot brands, and 5 points per $1 spent with long-stay brands.
Silver Elite: Silver Elite tier members earn a 10% bonus on points earned. This means they earn 11 points for every $1 spent, and 5.5 points for every $1 at long-stay hotels.
Gold Elite: Gold Elite tier earns a 25% bonus on points earned. This means members earn 12.5 points for every $1 spent with most Marriott brands and 6.25 points for every $1 at long-stay hotels.
Platinum Elite: Platinum Elite tier earns a 50% bonus on points earned. This means members earn 15 points for every $1 spent with most Marriott brands and 7.5 points for every $1 at long-stay hotels.
Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite: These two premier tiers earn members a 75% bonus on points, meaning they’ll receive 17.5 points per $1 spent with most Marriott brands, and 8.75 points per $1 spent with long-stay brands.

Travel Partners

Another great way to earn Bonvoy™ points is through travel bookings with select Marriott partners. Currently, Marriott only has two ways where members can earn points through partner bookings:

Hertz: Members earn up to 2,000 points for each car rental made through Hertz.
Cruises: Members can also earn up to 6 points per dollar by booking cruises through select partners, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Carnival, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Special Events

Marriott offers far more than just hotel rooms, as it also plays host to thousands of events each year. Marriott Bonvoy™ also rewards event planners by allowing them to earn points on money spent on events hosted by Marriott. Members earn 2 points for every dollar spent on events (up to 60,000 points), while Titanium Elite or higher members can earn up to 105,000 points per dollar spent. When hosting the first event each year, members can also earn up to 10 free nights with Marriott, plus an additional free night for every 20 rooms they book.

Credit Cards

One of the best ways to earn Bonvoy™ points is by using a Marriot Bonvoy™ co-branded credit card. Both American Express and Chase Bank issue Marriott Bonvoy™ credit cards and provide several ways to earn points beyond booking eligible stays with Marriott Hotels.

The Marriott Bonvoy™ Bold Card from Chase, for example, earns double points (2 points for every $1 spent) on travel purchases, such as taxis, train tickets, vacation packages and more. The Marriott Bonvoy™ Brilliant™ American Express® Card earns triple points (3 points per $1 spent) not only on travel but also on dining purchases. All the Bonvoy™ credit cards come with impressive sign-up bonuses of up to 100,000 bonus points, as well as points earned on every purchase.

Read HotelCards’ comprehensive reviews of Marriott Bonvoy™ co-branded credit cards, including:

Other Ways to Earn Points

Buy Points: Marriott allows members to buy points through their dedicated Buy Points site. The site typically offers deals on points purchases, usually around 25-35% in points bonuses for each purchase over a set amount. The maximum number of points that can be purchased in one transaction is 50,000 – though this level is frequently raised to 100,000 in special events.
Gift Points: Marriott also allows members to share their points with a loved one through gifting.

Limitations on Points Earning

As with many hotel rewards programs, there are limitations on how points can be earned in the Bonvoy™ loyalty program. Points cannot be earned on bookings made through third-party discount websites, such as Trivago, Orbitz, Priceline, Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire, Travelocity, or others.

Value of Marriott Bonvoy™ Points

Current Value of Marriott Bonvoy™ Points: 0.75 to 0.8 cents per point.

Valuing rewards points is not an exact science. Point valuations continuously fluctuate based on a variety of factors, including the ease of earning points, sign-up bonuses, changes in room rates, and the availability of award bookings. While point valuations change often, there are practical steps that can be taken to come up with an estimated value for rewards points, such as Marriott Bonvoy’s™.

At HotelCards, we use several metrics to determine the point value of hotel rewards programs. These metrics include how many points it would take to book standard hotel rooms in different geographical areas and how this compares to bookings with cash. These calculations are made for rooms of different tiers and locations, as well as for peak and off-peak booking times, to reach a general estimate of the value of points.

Based on current calculations, Marriott Bonvoy™ points have a value of between $.0075 to $.008 (.75 cents to .8 cents) per point.

How to Redeem Points

Free Night Awards

Perhaps the most obvious way to redeem Bonvoy™ points is through booking free night stays with Marriott properties. Points are redeemable for stays in three different ways: PointSavers, Points, or Cash + Points.

PointSaver: PointSaver is a revolving list of Marriott properties and offers the best value for money, with increased discount rates. Redemptions with PointSaver start as low as 4,000 points for off-peak stays, 6,000 for regular stays, and 8,500 points for peak-season stays.
Points: Points are the primary method of redemption with the Bonvoy program, with free nights starting at 5,000 points for off-peak stays at Category 1 properties, 7,500 for typical stays, and 10,000 for peak-season stays.
Cash + Points: Cash + Points allows Bonvoy members to pay for part of their stay with points – paying the rest with cash. Redemptions using Cash + Points start as low as 1,500 points and 55 USD.

How to Transfer Points to Airlines

Marriott Bonvoy™ points also transfer to the frequent flyer rewards programs of over 40 different airlines. All a Bonvoy™ member has to do is log in to their Bonvoy™ account, click on “Redeem Points,” choose “Travel,” and click on the box titled “Transfer Points to Miles.”

The following airlines are partners with Marriott:

Transfer rates of Bonvoy™ points to frequent flyer miles are fairly uniform, with a few key exceptions. The majority of airlines offer frequent flyer miles for Bonvoy™ points at a rate of 3 Bonvoy™ points for every mile (3:1). The following, however, are exceptions:

Air New Zealand: 200 Bonvoy™ points for every mile.
JetBlue: 6 Bonvoy™ points for every mile.
United: 3 Bonvoy™ points for every 1.1 miles. This rate is unique, as United offers a 10% bonus on every point transfer.

Points Transfer Rules

Marriott stipulates that each points-to-airline-miles transfer must be a minimum of 3,000 Bonvoy™ points or a maximum of 240,000 Bonvoy™ points.

Other Ways to Redeem Points

Shopping: Bonvoy™ points are redeemable towards merchandise through the dedicated Shop with Points portal. While shopping with points never offers the best value for money when it comes to redemptions, the Shop with Points portal does offer a wide selection of goods and gift cards from some of the biggest names, including Yeti, HP, Garmin, and more.
Share or Pool Points: Marriott also allows members to either share their points with loved ones through gifting, or pooling points with friends or family to help reach expensive redemption goals.

Rewards Program Tier Levels

Silver Elite

Silver Elite is the first elite tier in the Bonvoy™ program that offers perks beyond what regular members can expect.

Silver Elite Requirements

Reservations Per Year: 10 nights per year
Lifetime Status: 250–lifetime stays and 5 years of Elite status

Silver Elite Benefits

Silver Elite members can expect the following perks:

10% bonus points on stays
Priority late check-out
Access to the dedicated reservations line

Gold Elite

Gold Elite is the next tier in the Bonvoy™ loyalty program and offers enhanced perks beyond those of Silver Elite members.

Gold Elite Requirements

Reservations Per Year: 25 nights per year (including redemption nights).
Lifetime Status: 400 lifetime nights and 7 years of Gold Elite status or higher.

Gold Elite Benefits

Gold Elite members can expect the following perks:

25% bonus points on stays
Priority 2 pm late check-out
Enhanced room upgrades
Free improved in-room Wi-Fi
Access to the dedicated reservations line
Welcome gift with points redemptions

Platinum Elite

Platinum Elite is the middle tier of the Elite status tiers in the Bonvoy™ loyalty program and offers further enhancements than those Gold Elite members can expect.

Platinum Elite Requirements

Reservations Per Year: 50 nights per year (including redemption nights).
Lifetime Status: 500 lifetime nights and 10 years of Platinum Elite status or higher.

Platinum Elite Benefits

Platinum Elite members can expect the following perks:

50% bonus points on stays
Priority 4 pm late check-out
Room upgrade, including with Select Suites
Free enhanced in-room Wi-Fi
Access to hotel lounges (where available)
Access to the dedicated reservations line
Choice of a free welcome gift of points, breakfast, or amenities

Titanium Elite

Titanium Elite is one of the premier tiers in the Bonvoy™ loyalty program and offers some of the program’s most exceptional perks and benefits.

Titanium Elite Requirements

Reservations Per Year: 75 nights per year (including redemption nights).
Lifetime Status: N/A

Titanium Elite Benefits

Titanium Elite members can expect the following perks:

75% bonus points on stays
Priority 4 pm late check-out
Room upgrade, including with Select Suites
Free enhanced in-room Wi-Fi
Access to hotel lounges (where available)
Access to the dedicated reservations line
Choice of a free welcome gift of points, breakfast, or amenities
Annual gift choice of one of the following:
5 Suite Night Awards
1 Free Night Award
Gold Elite status
40% favorite mattress
5 Elite Night Credits
$100 charity donation

Ambassador Elite

Ambassador Elite status is the pinnacle tier within the Marriott Bonvoy™ loyalty program, offering the highest level of perks to members.

Ambassador Elite Requirements

Reservations Per Year: 100 nights per year and $20,000 in spending with Marriott.
Lifetime Status: N/A

Ambassador Elite Benefits

Ambassador Elite members can expect the following perks:

75% bonus points on stays
Your24 – choose the 24 hours of your visit and check–in and out when it suits you
48–hour booking guarantee
Personalized assistance with all stays
Room upgrade, including with Select Suites
Free enhanced in-room Wi-Fi
Access to hotel lounges (where available)
Choice of a free welcome gift of points, breakfast, or amenities

Bonvoy™ Elite Restrictions and Limitations

Breakfast: The following hotels are exempt from offering free breakfast to Elite status members:

Design Hotels
Edition
Gaylord Hotels
The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Executive Club
Marriott Vacation Club

For an up-to-date listing of the restrictions and limitations with the Bonvoy™ loyalty program it is always advisable to check with Marriott’s Terms & Conditions page before booking a stay.

Editorial Disclosure — The opinions expressed on HotelCards’ reviews, blogs, and all other content on or relating to the website are solely those of the content’s author. They are not reflective of any card issuer or financial institution and have not been reviewed or approved by these entities unless otherwise noted. Further, HotelCards lists credit card offers that are updated daily with information believed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.